


me vs. maradona vs. elvis

by karlurban



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alcohol, Implied Torture, M/M, it's 2 am and i'm sorry, they're saps that sleep a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-23
Updated: 2015-06-23
Packaged: 2018-04-05 18:29:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4190397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karlurban/pseuds/karlurban
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He's not sure if he's in love or too drunk to think clearly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	me vs. maradona vs. elvis

**Author's Note:**

> i don't know what to say other than this is probably the most cliché thing i've written. i could do better. this is like. a speculation and each little tidbit has alcohol in it. sorry. title is a song by brand new. enjoy

They're at a bar, all of them, and Reid doesn't know why he allowed himself to be dragged there in the first place. They finally wrapped up a case, one that drained them all. Reid got too close again, and was hostage for a few hours before the team got to him. He knew the unsub wouldn't do anything until the team got there, so he was safe, for the most part. Still, he didn't have fun. The room he was in was dull and smelled of something akin to mold. But he's okay now, safe with the team. They still have another night in whatever godforsaken city they're in (someplace south of Boston, called Quincy, Reid tells them).

“On me,” Emily announces as they're packing up wordlessly and they nod their thanks to her. They shuffle out as a pack and head to the closest place that's open at 2 AM and serves alcohol. No one mentions how Morgan is still shaky and watching Reid like the good doctor would drop dead. Morgan makes eye contact with Reid and tries not to think about Tobias Hankel for the hundredth time that night. No one bothers to pay attention when Morgan stays by Reid's side. Sometime around 4 AM they go back to their cars. The birds are starting to chirp and Rossi is reminded how life goes on, even with what they're dealing with.

No one blinks when, on the flight back to Quantico, Reid rests his head on Morgan's shoulder, and the two fall asleep in a matter of minutes. (When they wake up and jump apart, Reid has a mark on his cheek and a loss of feeling there, and Morgan has the smallest drool stain. He promises not to tell anyone.)

 

-

 

The night Emily dies, they sit in Reid's apartment with a bottle of wine and no glasses. They pour drinks in the cap and pass it between each other, and imagine they're doing shots of something harder. Something that will make them feel numb.

They wake up curled into each other with the after taste of cheap wine on their tongues and all too familiar stabbing pains in their necks. They go into work together and no one talks about it (they notice everyone seems to have arrived with another person) and they're thankful. Rossi glances over at Morgan and Reid briefly.

“Coffee's still hot,” he says. The two look grateful. The after taste is still there, lingering like the memories of the other night. They each mentally vow not to drink Chardonnay until they can think of Emily without feeling hollow. It's a good thing they both prefer Pinot.

 

-

 

It's Will that approaches Reid about babysitting, mostly because JJ is stubborn and Will just wants a night off. Reid says yes, of course. He watches Henry for a few hours while the boy's parents most likely eat dinner and fidget due to lack of action. Before they left, JJ had turned to him and mumbled something about how Reid could help himself to any alcohol he could find. Two hours in and Reid seriously considers the option.

Another half hour passes and someone knocks “shave and a haircut” on the front door. Reid hesitantly opens it and there's Morgan, in all his glory.

“You didn't finish,” he says as greeting. Reid blinks confusedly before knocking the responding “two bits” on the open door. Morgan grins and Reid moves to let him in. He figures it's better not to question exactly why Morgan is here, because Morgan tends to show up randomly at times.

They don't know how, but they end up cracking open a bottle of Crown Royale around 9 PM while they watch reruns of Star Trek on TV. Reid says the lines quietly to himself, and Morgan finds himself listening more to the man next to him than to the show. They fall asleep like that a couple of hours later, Reid's feet in Morgan's lap and Morgan's head lolling back.

That's how Will and JJ find them, sometime after 11:30, snoring quietly on the couch as Captain Kirk drowns in a flood of tribbles. The couple smiles and they don't have the heart to wake the sleeping agents. The mom in JJ kicks in so she lays a blanket across them. When they wake up the next morning, it's to Henry squealing with delight at the sight of his uncles that slept over. They're not too mad about the disruption when they hear JJ telling them that waffles will be served in a few minutes.

 

-

 

There are days where the team is left feeling completely drained after a case, and today is no exception. They go out for drinks again, like it's the only way they can resume breathing after a bad case. They toast silently, their eyes downcast before they swallow their drinks and wish they could forget. When they finally head back to the jet, they can barely lift their heads. Almost like it's a habit, Reid drops his head on Morgan's shoulder and shuts his eyes as soon as they get on. No one bats an eye at the display, even when Morgan shifts so Reid can lie on his back with his head on Morgan's lap. They all know that Morgan feels responsible for Reid, like his safety depends on Morgan alone.

They fall asleep and Reid wakes up shaking an hour later. He shoots up in his seat, startling Morgan awake in the process.

“Are you all right?” Morgan asks immediately. Reid is shivering, despite the comfortable heat, and Morgan takes it as a no. He shushes Reid and eases him back onto his lap. Morgan's fingers find their way into Reid's hair. He plays with the bristly strands at the nape of Reid's neck and Reid finds himself calming down.

It's routine, by now. They fall asleep on each other, Reid wakes up from a nightmare and Morgan soothes Reid so they can both get back to sleep. Except, some bad nights, Reid wills himself to talk about the dream, about the fear he felt and how he didn't think he could wake up again. On those nights, Morgan stays awake long after Reid is able to fall back asleep, and he watches over the younger doctor. Reid always thanks Morgan the next day, and Morgan always smiles and shakes his head.

“Not a problem, pretty boy.”

 

-

 

They dance at JJ and Will's wedding as a joke. Maybe it's the champagne, maybe it's the overall mood, they don't know. It's easy to blame one or the other rather than confronting the beast in between them.

Everyone knows they're slightly buzzed and too giddy, and they're quick to latch onto each other. Their steps are awkward at best. They keep finding ways to stomp on each other's feet, and it's only a matter of time before they topple over and land in a mess of limbs. They're happy, though, all of them. They're finally smiling. It feels like the Earth is turning again.

Reid laughs when he finally manages to trip Morgan (accidentally, of course), and they fall. Reid elbows Morgan in the chest and Morgan grips Reid's arm too tightly. They'll both be bruised, but it'll be a hell of a story. Everyone around them is silent until Hotch snorts, causing everyone to evaporate in laughter. Jack gleefully jumps on Reid and Morgan, eliciting a grunt from both. They're with their family, together, and they're okay. Everything's okay.

 

-

 

The normalcy of going to a bar or club as a team is oddly scary. It's almost as if being apart for too long nowadays is equivalent to not wearing prescription glasses. But they can stay grounded together and feel real together, like they forget who they are if they're not with at least one other team member. They'll all be equally hungover and nursing the same headache the next day, so it's worth it.

Morgan and Reid wind up, by the stroke of luck, the only two not able to drink more than one thing each. They do have to uphold the law after all, so designated drivers are important. They're sitting together and Morgan can't help but stare at Reid. Reid, whose brows are furrowed as he works on a crossword puzzle. Of all things to be doing in a bar, Reid has chosen a crossword puzzle. Morgan feels warm and mildly light headed. He's not sure if he's in love or too drunk to think clearly. Reid shoots him a confused look and Morgan realizes that, oh, he said that out loud? Cool.

“You haven't had anything to drink yet,” Reid says.

“Guess I'm in love then,” Morgan states, and it's casual, almost as if he doesn't know what he's doing. It's like a game to see how much he can ruin everything while under the influence of alcohol. Except, this time, he's sober and smiling for no particular reason. This could fall flat and he knows it.

“I think I am, too,” Reid says carefully. His crossword puzzle is forgotten by now. Morgan's smile grows.

“This is a bad idea,” Morgan says, but he still looks like the cat that caught the canary.

“We tend to not make the best choices, especially while inebriated.”

“Good thing we're not drunk, then.”

**Author's Note:**

> this is for mikey xx
> 
> sorry if there are errors, this was really last minute and un beta'd and it's super late, so i'm sure something slipped by me. this felt longer when i wrote it but i think that's a normal feeling. i wish i had a better excuse other than i was tired and wanted to write something. thank you for reading


End file.
